Students might go to school later and come home later next year if a proposal was to be passed. The school board has been deciding whether or not to make middle school start times later.
If this change were to happen it could happen in the fall of 2025 or the following year. According to fcps.edu, the start times would most likely be changed to 8 a.m. or later for middle schools.
One reason for the proposed change is because students have reported getting less than eight hours of sleep.
Mr. Chris Powell, Assistant Principal of Rachel Carson, says, “This adjustment will be slow due to opinions still being collected and the school board still needs to decide.”
While students may be excited to sleep later, there are some things to consider.
Mr. Powell says, “This change can be positive but it could pose challenges as well.”
One challenge is that after school clubs would be pushed later in the day causing students to get home much later.
The current start times have been here for years.
“The school board chose to make start times early because of the bus schedule,” Mr. Powell said. “The buses are shared with middle school students and high school students, so middle school had to be made early.“
However, students have reported struggling to get the recommended sleep.
Aarush Bundaru, a seventh-grader on the champions team says, “I do not like to wake up early because I feel tired and rushed.”
Mr. Powell said he personally has not seen students asleep in class.
“But that doesn’t mean students are not exhausted,” he said.
Other than start times being a reason for students feeling sleepy, Mr. Powell feels that devices are also a big factor of students being sleep deprived, as many students use devices at night which exposes them to blue light before sleep.
Having to get ready in the morning quickly is a struggle for many students.
Jad El Idrissi, an eighth-grader on the Voyager team says, “If the change were to happen I would feel glad because I could get ready for school in less of a hurry.”
There’s still opinion collecting and logistic planning to be done for this idea to take action.
Mr. Powell says, “I am looking forward to all opinions being heard for the better.”
